Mail-box.



N0.s 57,234. PATENTED JUNE 18, 1907.

H. GBDDES. MAIL BOX.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 5, 1906.

2 SHEETS-SEEBT 1.

PATENTED JUNE 18, 1907.

H. GEDDBS.

MAIL BOX. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 5. 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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HORATIO GEDDES, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

Main-Box.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 18, 1907.

Appli ation filed June 5, 1906. Serial No. 320,279.

T (17/ 71'/1 one 1'1: m-rly concern:

Be it known that I, HonA'rIo Gnomzs, a

citizen of the United States, residing at (.leveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Imp'rovements in MaibBoxes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention'i's a mail box, and more particularly one for rural routes, its ob ect I having a stem '23 which is swiveled in a hearing socket 24 fastened to the arm.

being to provide a mail box so constructed. 1 that it will shed snow, sleet, dust, rain, etc., j from the lock, hinges and mail compare ient, thus preventing injury to the lock and hinges by freezing or otherwise, and damage to the mail.

The

.stem hasa knob 25 whereby itcan be turned. A set screw 26 threaded through the bearing Z-i is for the purpose of holding the stem 23 in adjusted position. The ring carries a mail box 29 embodying certain .novel features of construction, which will A further object is to provide a novel signal system to indicate whether tains mail or is empty.

. A further .object is to provide means. for moving the box so that it can be filled or emptied without the carrier dismounting.

in the a '-companying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of the invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the parts in another position. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the box the box conin a dillerent position from those shown in the preceding figures. Fig. 4 is a. central vertical section. Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing the-door of the box open.

Referring specifically to the drawings, 5 denotes a post or other suitable base on which the invention is mounted. To the top of the post is fastened a plate 6 having one of its ends turned up and forked, as at 7, and at the opposite end is a short vertical stem 8 on whicha-sleeve 9 is loosely mounted. The

edan arm or jib 11, which is thus free to swing in a vertical and horizontal plane. The arm normally rests in the fork 7. Behind the stem 8 is a post 12 having at its top a fixture carrying a rod 13 to which is fastened a guy wire 14 extending to the arm 11. This fixture comprisesa fork 14, a rocking plate 15 mounted between the branches of the fork, and a swiveled plate 16 in which the rod is mounted. The plate 15 has trunnions 17 which find their bearings in the branches of the fork The plate 16 is swiveled or pivoted at 18 on top .of the plate 15 and has lip-turned ends 19 -provided with alined openings through which the rod 13 ex- One end of the rod is threaded, on which is athumb screw 20 for adjustment. At the other end of the rod is an eye 21 in which the guy wire H is made fast. The

now be described.

The mail box has a conical shape and on I the outsideis secured a loop .28 which exi tends from the base to the apex of the cone.

The box is supported on the arm 11 by extending the loop through the ring 22. The

closure of the box is effected by a door 29 which is located on the inside of the box near the lower end or base thereof. The door is hinged in such a manner that it will swing clear of the inner wall of the box to facilitate the. removal of its contents. The hinge members comprise eyes 30 and 3!, respectively, one of which is secured to the top of the door at the edge thereof, and the other one to the inside of the box near the top or apex thereof. The eyes are. connected by a wire or rod 30 A look for the door comprises an angular plate 32 which is secured on the inside of the box above the door,and carries a rotatable hasp 33 which is extensible through a slot 34 sleeve has cheeks 10 between which is pivotin the door. The hasp has a narrow portion or neck 35 which is joined to an enlargement or head 36 having substantially the same dimensions as the slot, and provided with an eye 37 which receives the shackleof the pad- 7 look 38.

To lock the door, the head 36 is first turned until it is in alinement with the slot, through .which it is then extended until below the door, the neck 35 then extending through the slot 3 1. The head is then turned so as to extend across the slot, and the pad-lock is applied. To open the door, the head must again be brought into alinement with the slot until it can pass therethrough.

The outside of the box is divided lengthwise into two different colored sections, each of which extends half way around. This is for the purpose of indicating. whether the box contains mail or is empty. Thus, when the IIC carrier has deposited mail in the box, it will be turned so that the particular color indicating that fact will be visible to the owner of the box. Also, if the owner has placed mail in the box he will turn it so that the particular colored section of the box which indicates that fact will be visible to the carrier. Therefore, if the color indicating an empty box is presented to the carrier he will be saved a trip to the box and he can pass without stopping. In the same manner the carrier can turnthe box to indicate to the owner that no mail has been deposited. The thumb screw 26 securely holds the box in whatever position it may be placed. It will, however, be free to swing with the wind.

Inasmuch as the pivotal axes of the arm 11 and the plate 16 do not coincide, the latter being behind the former, the arm will automatically swing to the right or the left from the fork 7 when released, and the plate 16 will swing around .until it is stopped by the fork 14. The arm then gradually comes to a stop when it reaches a point where it balances. This point is about 90 degrees from the fork on each side thereof so that the mailbox traverses over a radius of about 180 degrees. This movement of the arm can be utilized to expose the different colored faces or sides of the box. When the arm swings to the right of the fork one of the colored faces of the box is exposed, and when it swings to the left the opposite side or face is exposed. The manner in which the mail-box is secured at the end of the arm 1] enables it to be set so that the difierent colored faces will be directly within the range of the vision of the owner of the box when the arm swings to either side as stated. a

The swinging arm 11 enables the carrier to place the mail into the box without dismounting or leaving his carriage as he can pull the box over within reach. The manner in which the box is mounted on the arm enables it to be inverted so that its contents can be poured directly into the mail bag, or if the carrier is in a carriage the box can be drawn over to hang directly over the mail receptacle and dumped. The contents can. be removed by the owner of the box in the same manner and the box need not be taken ff the arm. The door construction permits the contents of the box to be readily emptied and there is no danger of any of the mail matter being stuck or caught.

The contents of the box, as well as the lock and hinges, are completely protected from dirt, rain, snow, etc., the shape of the box being such that it will shed rain and prevent accumulation of injurious particles.

I claim:

1. A conical receptacle having a-loop extending from the base to the apex thereof, in combination with a supporting arm hav ing an eye through which the loop loosely extends.

2. A mail box comprising a vessel open at one end, a closure inside the vessel, and a hinge connection between the closure and the vessel, comprising eyes secured respectively to the closure and to the inside of the vessel, and a connection between said eyes, to permit the closure to swing downwardly, and laterally and bodily from the walls of the receptacle.

3. The combination with asupport, of a vertically and. horizontally. swinging arm carrying a mail box, a standard rising from the support, a swiveled and vertically swinging plate on the standard, and a guy wire extending from the aforesaid arm, and adjustably carried by the aforesaid plate.

4. A receptacle having a loop extending from the top to the bottom thereof, in combination with a suspension device movable from one end of the loop to the other to support the receptacle with either end up.

5. A mail-box comprising a vessel, a rod pivoted at one end on the inside thereof, and a closure for the vessel hinged to the other end of the rod..

6. The combination with a support, of a horizontally swinging arm carrying a receptacle, and a guy wire secured at one end to the arm, and having at the other end a swiveled support, the pivotal axes ofthe arm and the guy wire support being out of alinement.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HORATIO GEDDES.

Witnesses:

JOHN A. BOMMHARDT, SHIRLEY J. BOMMHARDT. 

